Armored foot and ankle protector



July 5, 1932. l. w. MILLARD 1,865,702

ARMORED FOO'.` AND ANKLE PROTECTOR Filed April 27, 1929 Ifwvn/ 1J af Patented July 5, 1932 SAS IRWIN W. MILLARD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO INDUSTRIAL GLOVES COR- PORATION, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE ARMORED FOOT AND AN KLE PROTECTOR Application filed April 27,

The invention relates particularly to armored or reinforced foot coverings and has for its general aim the provision of a new and improved protective covering for the foot which is especially reinforced to afford protection to certain portions thereof.

1n certain industrial plants, such as steel rolling mills, serious and often permanent injuries are frequently caused by accidents to m the feet of the workmen. For example, in a steel rolling mill workmen are employed in handling heavy sheets of metal which may move near the floor and which have jagged or sharp edges. Accidental striking of the ifs foot against these edges mai and often does, sever or otherwise seriously injure certain important tendons in the foot, such as those across the instep or the Achilles tendon at the rear of the foot and ankle. Generally so such injuries result in permanent disability of the injured workman.

A more specific object of the invention, therefore, is to devise an article of this character which is strongly armored or reinforced 2:) to afford protection across the instep of the foot and to the Achilles tendon.

@ther objects and advantages will be apparent in the following description and from the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a foot covering embodying the features of this invention.

F ig. 2 is a vertical central section of the covering.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section thereof.

Although the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, I have shown and herein described in detail the preferred embodiment but it is to be understood that l do not thereby intend to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed but intend to cover all modificati ons and alternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as eX- pressed in the appended claims.

Generally, the invention comprises a foot covering of suitable material, such as leather or the like, which may be readily attached or detached from its position about the wearers foot and which embodies therein one or 50 more steel strips particularly arrangedrto 1929. Serial No. 358,471.

overlie andv protect the various portions of the foot most likely to be seriously injured by accident. f

More particularly, the covering is shown as being generally in the form of a spat and may be formed in any suitable manner. ln the present instance three pieces of a suitable material, such as leather, are cut on appropriate patterns to provide an inner section 6, a

Vfront* outer section 7 and a rear outer section 8. The front outer section 7 is secured to the inner section 6 along one side edgethereof, as

Vby means of the steel staples 9, these blanks Vthe foot, and a buckle 13 for engaging the strap may also be provided to hold the spat snugly down on the foot. p Preferably the yheight of the spat when worn is such that the upper edge thereof extends well above the wearers ankle thus covering the whole of the lower and most eX- posed portions of the leg and the important tendons located therein. The entire surface of the spat is preferably reinforced by a plurality of steel staples 14, which type of reinforcement strengthens but does not materially aect the flexibility of the article. The particular means for protecting those portions of the wearers foot more likely to be injured are illustrated, in this embodiment, as being arranged to overlie and protect the tendons across the instep of the foot and the Achilles tendon at the rear of the foot. To this end armoring stays or strips 15 and 16, of somewhat flexible, tempered steel, extend from top to bottom of the spat along the front and rear portions respectively. Said stays are secured in position in any suitable prisinfT manner, as by providing pockets therefor by overlapping portions of the sections 6, 7 and 8 as shown in Fig. 3, when these portions are sewed together. The front stay 15 is preferably slightly arcuate to conform to the contour of the instep.

In consequence of this construction, it will be apparent that the armoring stays will be supported in such position upon a wearers foot, that a sharp object coming forcibly into contact therewith will meet with a positive resistance which is of ample strength to prevent severing of the underlying tendons. Moreover, an article of this character is simple in construction, will not interfere with the movements of the wearer, and may be manufactured at a low cost.

I claim as my invention:

l. A reinforced protecting means for the lower portion of a leg comprising, in combination, a flexible covering adapted to encircle the exposed parts of a wearersvfoot and ankle7 means for securing said covering in place, and reinforcing means forstrengthening said covering including small metallic members disposed in closely spaced relation about the surface of said covering, and a pair of metal stays secured to said covering to extend from top to bottom thereof, said stays being positioned one on the front of said covering to overlie the wearers instep, and the other at the rear of said covering to overlie the Achilles tendon.

2. A foot and ankle protecting means comg, in combination, a covering member shaped to overlie the exposed portions of a wearers foot and ankle, means for strengthening said covering including small metallic members disposed in closely spaced relation ,i about the surface of said covering, and means D n for armormg said member comprising strips of material of relatively great strength carried by said member to overlie and protect certain parts of the foot and ankle.Y

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto affixed my signature.

IRWIN W. MILLARD. 

